Propionic acid

Description

Colorless oily liquid with a irritating, rancid smell. Propionic acid occurs naturally in small amounts in dairy products and wood pulp. It is used as a mold inhibitor and preservative.

Chemical structure

Synonyms and Related Terms

methylacetic acid; propanoic acid; ethylformic acid

Risks

• Flammable. Flash point = 52 C.
• Corrosive.
• Causes burns on contact.
• Harmful in inhalation, ingestion and skin absorption.
• ThermoFisher: SDS

Physical and Chemical Properties

Soluble in water, ethanol, chloroform, ether.

Composition	CH3CH2CO2H
CAS	79-09-4
Melting Point	-20.8 C
Density	0.99 g/ml
Molecular Weight	mol. wt. = 74.08
Refractive Index	1.3862
Boiling Point	140.7 C

Resources and Citations

• G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 9

• Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993

• The Merck Index, Martha Windholz (ed.), Merck Research Labs, Rahway NJ, 10th edition, 1983 Comment: ref. index=1.3862

• CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, Robert Weast (ed.), CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, v. 61, 1980 Comment: ref. index=1.385